


Just a Little Heartbreak :)

by Bronzeflower



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Arlo can have a little heartbreak :), Break Up, Cheating, Crying, Daydreaming, First Kiss, Heartbreak, Hurt No Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, One Shot, Withered Branch, as a treat, breaking up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24305626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bronzeflower/pseuds/Bronzeflower
Summary: While doing his patrol in the Eufaula Desert, Arlo enters into the cave at the end of the desert and sees something he probably shouldn't have.
Relationships: Arlo/Builder (My Time At Portia), Arlo/Male Builder (My Time At Portia), Oaks/Builder (My Time At Portia), Oaks/Male Builder (My Time At Portia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Just a Little Heartbreak :)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I need to preface this by saying this fic is not "canon" in my builder's universe, but, you know what? I decided people liked Arlo a little too much

Arlo was on duty for patrolling out to the Eufaula Desert, looking out for any larger threats that could infringe upon Portia or Southblock when he reached the cave at the very edge of it.

Professional speaking, Arlo would say that he entered the cave to leave no stone unturned, but, realistically, there hadn't been any monsters in the cave for a while now. It was perfectly safe, and there was no reason to check it.

But Arlo wanted to. Maybe he was feeling sappy, but the cave was special.

As he walked through it, his heart filled with warmth. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought of Victor gleefully fighting the monsters that once resided here, looking back at Arlo with a proud grin once he finished.

And then when Victor fell while they were climbing up the cliff and Arlo caught him. Victor got so flustered by that, especially as Arlo offered to carry him the rest of the way up.

Arlo's stomach filled with butterflies and he let out a sigh, thinking about Victor. Kind, hardworking, a little blunt at times, but the honesty was appreciated. As Arlo’s thoughts wandered, he found himself thinking about kissing Victor.

He wanted to kiss Victor in the way that made Victor the most flustered. Something soft and careful and tender never failed to make Victor’s cheeks flare up as he asked for another kiss.

The cave was actually where they had their first kiss, and it was exactly the kind of kiss that Arlo was imagining at the moment.

Arlo got to the top of the cliff face, excited to see the beautiful scenery that he knew resided just a bit further in.

But, when he reached there, every ounce of warmth slipped out of him as he froze dead in his tracks, attempting to decipher what he was seeing.

Because, because that couldn't be Victor kissing Oaks. Not in the same exact place Arlo shared his first kiss with Victor. It couldn't. It was impossible. It was a trick of the light.

But no one else had hair that bright of a red. And no one else quite smiled like that, gentle and soft and ethereal. The smile that never failed to make Arlo's knees to jelly and make his heart race. The smile that made Arlo feel like the most loved person in the world. The smile that Arlo had thought was only for him.

That smile. That perfect, beautiful, lovely smile. That wonderful, amazing, heartstopping smile. Was being directed towards _Oaks_.

Arlo’s stomach started to churn with something ugly, and it quickly slithered up to his throat, suffocating him and making his throat scratchy and dry. His heart collapsed in upon itself, and his lungs burned.

He had to get out of here. He couldn’t stand here and watch them. He couldn’t stand to look at that smile for a second longer.

Arlo shoved down the emotion that kept crawling and climbing through his chest with reckless abandon. He forced it down into his core and mustered up the strength to turn around.

He bolted.

Once he started moving, he couldn’t stop, and his emotions broke free from their weak chamber and clamored about through his chest as his mind played the scene he had witnessed on repeat. He must have gone through it a hundred times before accepting the truth of the situation.

It wasn’t Oaks who initiated the kiss.

Arlo ran past Southblock, but he slowed as he approached the Portia Bridge. He breathed in and out. In. And. Out.

He started doing the breathing exercise wherein he breathed in for as long as he could, holding it for a few seconds before finally breathing out slowly and carefully.

He didn’t want anyone to think he was running due to an emergency. And, no matter how much it felt like it, this was _not_ an emergency.

Arlo walked, focusing his eyes one every little thing to distract himself from his thoughts.

There was the wishing tree, grand as it watched over the Central Plaza, bringing shade to the benches it grew beside. He listened to his footsteps, each step making a satisfying thump against the ground.  
He put a hand on the railing as he ascended the stairs between Total Tools and the school, taking a glance towards the Mysterious Man’s eternally closed shop.

Why did the Mysterious Man even set up a shop here if he was going to be gone most of the time? Arlo could recall when he opened up the store every morning and cheerfully greeted customers who came by. Arlo never learned why he left, only knowing that the Mysterious Man always said that Portia felt like home to him.

Those thoughts weren’t important at the moment, but they gave Arlo something to think about other than, well...

“Good evening, Arlo,” Ginger said as Arlo started to pass by.

“Good evening, anything I can help you with?”

The words were automatic, firing off as Arlo put on his Captain’s mask.

"Have you seen Victor around?" Ginger asked, and the question immediately prompted a replay of the scene Arlo had the misfortune of seeing. "He said he would tell me about some of his adventures in the mines when he had the time."

"I haven't seen him," Arlo lied.

"If you do, could you tell him I've been looking for him?" Ginger requested.

"Yeah, of course," Arlo managed to dredge out. "I'll see you around."

They went their separate ways, and Arlo kept up his mask. He was so close to the Civil Corps. He could handle himself for the few minutes it would take to get there. Just a little further.

Arlo placed a hand on the railings to steady himself as he went up the ramps leading to the Civil Corps.

He was almost there. He was so close. He just had to focus on his footsteps. Keep up the mask.

"Oh! Arlo!" A voice greeted, and it broke Arlo's concentration, especially as he looked up to find it was Nora, and he saw how her cheerful expression shifted into worry. "Are...you okay?"

"I'm fine," Arlo ground out, and he hated how curt his voice sounded.

"I don't think you are," Nora insisted, and while, usually, Arlo would be grateful for her concern, this wasn't something he wanted to burden her with. This was something he _couldn't_ burden her with.

"It's not something I want to talk about," Arlo said, and the words felt like sandpaper on his tongue. His throat had begun to clog, and he feared he wouldn't be able to hold himself together for much longer. "Not right now."

Nora went silent for a moment before looking solemn.

"Oh. Okay," Nora accepted. "Perhaps later then."

Arlo nodded stiffly and took the last few steps up to the Civil Corps building. As Arlo reached out to open the door, he noticed his hand was shaking.

He made it inside and rushed to his own bedroom, swiftly opening the door and closing it behind him.

He took a breath, and his face felt hot. He braced himself against the closed door, and he broke.

Arlo slid down to the ground, finding himself sitting on the stairs leading down to his bedroom as painful tears started to force their way out of him.

Once the tears started coming out, he couldn't stop them, and they rushed down until all Arlo could taste was salt and all he could think about was Victor kissing Oaks.

Why? Arlo thought, he thought Victor loved him.

Arlo thought that cave was special to the both of them. He thought that Victor's soft, loving smile was reserved for only him. He thought that he was the only one Victor wanted to kiss.

Arlo guessed that he was wrong.

It took a long time for him to stop crying. The tears kept flowing until his body couldn’t physically produce any more, and once he had exhausted himself of the tears, he stared down at the Flying Pigs rug at the end of the stairs, hardly registering much of anything.

He didn’t know how long he stayed there. It felt like time wasn’t passing, as if he were in his own separate bubble away from everything else. Realistically, however, Arlo knew that time didn’t stop just because he had a little crying session, which is why he eventually forced himself to move.

He started with moving individual fingers before making sure his arms were functioning as well, a task that was somehow both simple and almost insurmountable. He raised his hand up to grasp at the railing and used it as a brace to slowly bring himself up to standing height.

Arlo became dizzy as he stood, which told him that he’d been frozen on the ground for probably too long, and it took a minute for the dizziness to subside.

His chest still felt like it was on fire, but they were embers compared to the burning blaze of hurt from earlier.

Arlo held onto the railing as he descended into the bedroom. Once he reached level ground, he found himself reluctant to let go of the railing. It was something solid, real. Arlo had the feeling that, if he didn’t continue to hold on to it, he’d just fall apart again.

But, eventually, Arlo had to let go of the railing, and he stumbled over to the bed, practically collapsing onto it and passing out almost instantly.

In the morning, Arlo woke up. He tore himself out of bed and prepared for work.

He was captain of the Civil Corps. He had a duty to fulfill, and he couldn’t allow a little heartbreak to affect that duty.

And, well, as much as Arlo hated to admit it, he hoped what he saw at the cave was just a mistake. 

He knew it was stupid to rationalize such a thing. He really shouldn’t be giving Victor a second chance at all, but Arlo couldn't help but feel hopeful that Victor would gift him an apology bear, and they could work things out, and Victor would smile lovingly at Arlo and get flustered whenever Arlo kissed him softly, and everything would be okay.

Huh.

He...really had fallen hard, hadn’t he?

A few days later, Victor brought Arlo to a private area, and Arlo tried to push down the hope rising up inside him.

"So, um," Victor started, bringing a hand up and tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear, an action that never failed to make Arlo’s heart race. "I need to tell you something."

"Go ahead," Arlo stated, crossing his arms in front of himself, as if that would protect him from whatever Victor might say.

"Let's break up."

Arlo felt like he'd just swallowed glass.

"Wh-what? Why?" Arlo asked even though he knew why. He knew exactly why, but he couldn't stop the words from escaping out of him.

"I just...I don't have...I don't love you like that. Not anymore."

Arlo watched as Victor reached into his bag and pulled out - he pulled out a, a withered branch. Victor held out the hand holding the branch towards Arlo, and Arlo felt his chest caving in on itself as he forced himself to take it, pricking himself on it’s thorns in the process.

"I, I understand," Arlo said, but he didn't. He really didn't. He just clutched at the handle of the withered branch as his heart became torn to shreds.

Victor left, and Arlo made his way to the Civil Corps building. The path felt familiar in a way that had nothing to do with Arlo taking the route every day. This time though, he ran into no one.

The door to the Civil Corps building, and, somehow, the door to his room was heavier, but he went inside, and he sat down at his desk. He looked over the paperwork he had yet to finish and the mugs that he had yet to clean up.

Instead of working or picking up the mugs, Arlo brought out the withered branch.

He stared at it as if it would suddenly disappear. It was light, so light that Arlo could almost forget that it was there, but, as he ran his fingers over it, the thorns still very much hurt him.

“Ow!” Arlo vocalized as he pricked himself particularly hard against one of the thorns, the sharp pain violently jolted Arlo back into reality.

The branch was a physical reminder of what just occurred. It gave Arlo no sweet nothings, no appealing lies, just harsh, unrelenting truth.

And it was a truth Arlo had to accept. Arlo had to respect Victor’s decision, and he had to accept that Victor just didn’t love him anymore.

Victor didn’t love him anymore.

Arlo started crying. He dropped the withered branch, and it fell to the floor with a soft thump, and Arlo couldn’t even bring himself to care as he buried his face into his hands and sobbed.

Time seemed to reach a standstill as Arlo sat there, expelling all the hurt and despair that had built up inside of him.

He didn’t know how long he spent crying, but he eventually stopped. He wiped away the remnants of his tears and stared down at the paperwork at his desk.

He couldn't just stop doing his duties because of a little heartbreak.

And he reminded himself of that every time he spotted Victor and Oaks out on a date with each other, laughing and smiling and kissing.

Arlo tried not to think about old times whenever he caught sight of the two of them, but, sometimes, he couldn’t help it.

His heart ached.

**Author's Note:**

> tbh I just saw some folks getting heartbroken about Nora hanging out with Arlo, and I decided to turn the tables a little


End file.
